My engine compartment is detailed as original and looks great...until the sun shines in the exact way and you can see accumulated dust/pollen/etc. in all those hard to reach areas (in the corner under the heater hoses, behind the booster, the rear sides of the inner fender liners, etc.). Places I can't get to without tearing a bunch of stuff off. Any suggestions on something I can maybe spray to penetrate then gently hose off? I remember my Recon. guy used have a pink liquid he called G.P. (General Purpose) that he would coat the engine compartment of used cars and then gently hose off and it worked fantastic. It wasn't high strength like a degreaser it would just remove years of salt, dirt, sand and dust.

 

If it's just dust and pollen, I'd buy the compressed air in a can that people use to clean off their keyboards or camera equipment. Cheap, fast and it works.

 

my town has 3 car washes, one of them has lower pressure than the others. i go there when i do under the hood. i just wash it like i would the outside of the car but being careful not to spray hard anywhere i shouldn't. then i spend about an hour hand drying everything. for me it is easier to hand dry everything than it is to hand clean everywhere under the hood.

 

A lot of people swear by dousing everything in Simple Green and waiting a minute or two then rinsing gently. Any thoughts? I just don't want to affect any of the finishes.

 

try one of the household swiffer dusters

they work great and can get you into spaces you can't get to with
your hand and a rag.

 

Based on past experience, you are going to have to move the items that get in your way, and hand wipe the areas you mentioned if you want that show car look. Anything short of that will puddle the dirt in other areas. I know its alot of work but if you keep up with it, it does not take long.

I feel your pain!!!!!! My 1963 Plymouth Fury was a show car and alot of work went into it to keep it nice. I tried to never get caught driving it in the rain because of the amount of work it took to clean it up in there. The underside of the car was also an issue!

 

Thanks everybody. I was hoping for a magic solution . My car is largely unrestored but has been preserved and detailed but not perfect (some original patina that I don't want to loose) and I drive it so that makes keeping up with it that much harder.

 

A cheap product I use is Windex! You still have to move things.I like the air can idea!

 

I don't have one but thinking about getting one of those AIR FORCE BLASTER motorcycle dryers. Look like they would be great for drying a car engine after washing too. www.motorcycledryer.com I do have one of those long hose attachments that they show on TV, called a WATER JET, I got it at the hardware store for $20, really doesn't put out a lot of pressure but it is about 2 ft long and can get in all the places a regular nozzle can't get. I also use Mean Green from Family Dollar and mix it 1/2 water, powerfull stuff @ $5 a gallon.
Higgins

 

It also removes warts ...

 

I agree with Ken, but go 1 step further, they make these mini vacs for keyboards. It has a flexible stem, that can get into those tight spots you speak of.

 

My wife is going to wonder what happened to her Swiffer. Great idea Rob.
What about one of those small steam cleaning machines?